CAA vs. Range Media Partners: Court Dismisses Key Claims but Allows Talent Agency Act Dispute to Proceed
The ongoing legal battle between CAA and Range Media Partners took another turn Thursday, as LA Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young issued a mixed ruling that dismissed several key claims while allowing others to proceed.
At the heart of the dispute, CAA accuses Range—founded in 2020 by Peter Micelli, Jack Whigham, Michael Cooper, Mick Sullivan, and Dave Bugliari—of stealing trade secrets, lifting confidential data, and engaging in unfair competition. However, Judge Young dismissed portions of these accusations, including Concealment of Unlawful Conduct sub-claims, noting that “soliciting clients is not independently wrongful.”
Despite the partial victory for Range, the court allowed CAA’s claims under the Talent Agencies Act and certain unfair competition allegations to move forward. CAA now has 20 days to file an amended complaint addressing the court’s ruling.
The decision is seen by some as a significant win for Range, while others view it as only a temporary setback for CAA, which still prevailed on major legal points. The nearly yearlong dispute involves around 150 shared clients between the two companies and includes allegations of breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference.
Adding to the complexity, both sides await an arbitrator’s decision later this year in a separate conflict over cancelled equity and compensation for former CAA executives now at Range. Range argues that CAA’s public lawsuit is repetitive of the ongoing private arbitration, claiming CAA is “double dipping” due to unfavorable progress in arbitration.
See More ...
Range’s legal team, led by Orin Snyder and Ilissa Samplin of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, celebrated the ruling, stating:
“Today the court dismissed nearly all of CAA’s claims… This isn’t about protecting artists—it’s about protecting CAA’s monopoly. It’s a power grab, plain and simple.”
CAA, represented by Paul Hastings LLP, had no comment on the ruling but is expected to refile certain claims. With both litigation and arbitration still in play, the case remains far from over.
